Advanced Transfiguration of the Magical Body
by EMis1123
Summary: James Potter had to be especially skilled at Transfiguration to become an animagus. And he didn't do it alone, either...
1. Chapter 1

James wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but it was Evans who found him slumped over _Darius Llewellyn's Advanced Transfiguration of the Magical Body._

"Potter. Get up. First period's about to start, and you're in my spot." She kicked his leg firmly.

Several hours, then. All _night?_ James jerked up, knocking his possessions to the floor loudly.

"Damn," he gasped, shoving his glasses up into a less-askew position. "Evans? Wha—where—_damn."_ He scrambled sideways out of his seat. "What time is it?"

Evans narrowed her eyes slightly, and shrugged. "Almost eight." She saw his book on the ground, and stooped to pick it up. "_Advanced Transfiguration of the Magical Body?_ What are you doing with this?" She balanced her things on one hip, and squinted at the title suspiciously.

"Extra credit for McGonagall," James lied with a splutter, his head spinning. "Give me that!" He fumbled the book out of her hands, and dumped it unceremoniously into his bag.

"Like you need extra credit in that class," Evans snapped. She threw her books onto the table with a _bang!_

"Jealous, Evans?" James grinned, and winked at her before sprinting away. He wished he could have stayed to see her typical aghast expression she reserved for dealing with him or Sirius, but apparently_ he was about to miss Transfiguration._

Great. Just great. He stumbled into the classroom seconds after his name rang out.

"Present!" he gasped, and McGonagall glared up at him piercingly.

"Late, Mr. Potter."

"Sorry, Professor," he apologized meekly. "I stayed up late reading Darius Llewellyn, and fell asleep in the library."

McGonagall gave him a stare, and James had a sinking feeling he'd chosen the wrong teacher to schmooze today. "I see. Well, Potter, since you seem to be vastly interested in Animagi, I suggest you stay after class to speak with me. I assure you, I am well-versed in the subject."

It wasn't a suggestion. He slunk to his desk next to Sirius, who was curled up in his seat, biting his fist to keep from laughing. There were even a few tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes.

"Shut it," James warned crossly. Sirius' shoulders shook.

Halfway through lecture, Sirius had finally gained control of himself. "You fell asleep in the _library?_ Are you serious?"

James ignored him. Transfiguration was one of two classes he actually tried in, the other being Charms. He scribbled quickly as McGonagall demonstrated how to turn a quill and inkwell into a fountain pen.

"God, were you sitting in Evans' spot again?"

James reddened, and Sirius, unfortunately, noticed.

"You were? Oh, my god. She studies in there first period… were you drooling when she found you, Prongs?" Sirius made a kissing face, ducking down when McGonagall turned back to face the class.

"If you don't shut up, I'll jinx your face to the desk, Padfoot," James told him, once the coast was clear.

Sirius chuckled, but fell blessedly silent.

After a while, James muttered, "It was for Mooney's _furry little problem."_

Sirius glanced up from the doodle he was making, but said nothing. It was true that James was the best of their year in McGonagall's class—a fact that galled Lily Evans, the oft-denied object of James' affections. It had been Peter's idea, not James', that they find a way to be safe around Remus whenever his _furry little problem_ arose, but James was the one who convinced them all to become animagi.

"_If you transfigure yourself into an animal," he'd explained, "you think like them, you act like them, you _become_ one of them. Also, Remus might eat us."_

"_You act like you think this is funny," Remus said bitterly._

That had been two years ago, when they were all second years.

"_But if we can be animals, but still get through to you, Remus, then you'll see that it's us, and we can have a good time!"_

"_But only an animagus can turn himself into an animal and—James! Are you crazy?" Peter gasped. "We're just kids!"_

_James glanced at Sirius._

"_Dunno, James. We're not as good as you," Sirius shrugged. "I like the idea, though."_

_Remus shook his head doggedly. "Absolutely not. No way. I refuse. This is ridiculous."_

"_Gonna tattle, Mooney?" James laughed. Remus never tattled._

_Remus raised an eyebrow. "What did you call me?"_

_He shifted uncomfortably. "You know… Mooney… for your, uh, furry little… problem."_

_As Sirius and Peter laughed, Remus said slowly, "You know? I like it."_


	2. Chapter 2

"Is Remus here?" Evans asked guardedly in Charms a week or two later.

James straightened up. "Hey, Evans," he breezed, running a hand over his shaggy black hair.

"Ugh. Peter, is Remus here?" Evans turned to Peter.

"What? No! Nope, he's visiting his grandmother again, she's got dragon pox. Dragon pox. It's bad for old people. I mean, not that his grandma's dying or anything, it's just—"

Evans frowned. "He was supposed to be partnering with me for the Disillusion assignment."

"I'll partner with you," James beamed.

"Peter, would you be my partner?" Lily asked, smiling brightly but with a touch of wickedness. Peter had the good grace to laugh as she blatantly ignored James.

"That's okay. I think James is really more of your speed."

"So, someone else." Lily drifted away, sitting down next to Alice, a girl in their year from Hufflepuff. The two greeted each other with wide grins, and Alice leaned out to look at the boys. She said something to Lily, and the two girls laughed daintily. When James stood to walk over and investigate, they stopped immediately, freezing him with chilly glares.

Sirius clapped James' shoulder. "They hate you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," James sniffed arrogantly.

"It might have something to do how you always jinx Snape's eyes crossed whenever you see him in the halls," Peter said helpfully. "And how you hex his ears in the library. And make spitballs attack him during History of Magic."

"He had it coming," James asserted, with a dark look on his face. "You've seen the way he acts, all possessive and sneaky and rotten. A git like that _deserves_ to be punished." Sirius and Peter exchanged a glance as the professor started the lesson.

Ten minutes into the exercise, Evans let out a wild yelp. "Alice…" she giggled. Evans had turned a shifting myriad of colors, like an uncontrollable chameleon. She didn't seem to be worried, only gently amused. She held out her arms (flashing yellow with bright purple splotches) and examined them smilingly, with something that looked like wonder.

"Professor?" Alice called, her voice calm. "I think I'm having some trouble with this charm."

Professor Flitwick chuckled and strolled over to the pair. He restored Evans to her rightful coloring, and quickly explained Alice's mistake. When Lily tried the spell a moment later, Alice seemed to vanish in a shimmer of air.

"That's cold!" her disembodied voice exclaimed. "And runny! Brilliant, Lily!"

"Well done, Miss Evans," Flitwick approved. "Fifteen points." Lily's smile was radiant.


	3. Chapter 3

Remus was sprawled out on his bed in the fourth-year dorms when James, Sirius, and Peter got back from classes. This was always their game.

James and Sirius took off their shoes and padded forward lightly on silent feet. Peter was nowhere to be seen. They were within arm's reach when Remus' ears twitched. He opened one eye.

"Close, boys, but not this time." He yawned and closed his eyes again.

_"Hi, Remus,"_ Peter whispered breathlessly. Remus shot up, glaring around wildly as Peter's head popped out of the Invisibility Cloak.

Remus punched gently at Peter. "How are you even able to do that?" he laughed as Peter jumped backwards.

Peter smiled. "I'm quiet and I'm faster than I—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," James interrupted. "How are you doing, Mooney?" He threw himself down onto the bed with a bounce.

"Slept like a dog," Remus said, straight-faced. "When's dinner?"

"In a few minutes," Peter jumped in. "Let's go down, I'm starving."

They went down to the grand hall, where a fresh vat of pumpkin stew was waiting for them at the end of the Gryffindor table. Remus ate fervently, and his color slowly came back to him. All seemed to be going well, until Severus Snape walked past them. Before anyone else could advise him otherwise, James pointed his wand at Snape beneath the table. He muttered a spell, his lips scarcely moving.

Snape's robes flipped up over his head, revealing an ill-fitting sweater and school-issued trousers and trainers. The Slytherin boy cursed, and struggled out of the tangled robes. Remus barely slowed in his eating, but Peter and Sirius stared at James. James in turn stared at his stew with a smirk, but everyone knew.

"Bloody bastard," Snape hissed at James. He drew his wand, and James, with a gleeful fervor, jumped up, revealing his own.

"James, don't," Peter whined. "He's not worth it."

"He was about to curse me!" James protested.

Remus glanced up from his food. "Leave it alone, James, we all know what happened."

And then, things went from bad to worse. Snape turned his wand on Remus. "I don't need your help, monster. I know what _you_ are."

James ignored his wand, and threw himself at Snape. Peter jumped in between them bravely, and the two Gryffindors fell to the floor. Sirius had his wand out at Snape, a hex on the tip of his tongue.

"Enough," Remus said, and his voice sounded low and gravelly. Almost animal, James realized from under Peter's bony limbs, and he froze as ice flooded his veins.

_Remus, whatever you're about to do, don't._

"I, Severus, happen to know who cursed Gilly Devers last week," Remus said softly, placing his spoon on the table gently.

"That wasn't me," Snape snapped.

"No," Remus agreed amiably, "It wasn't. But…"

"But, what?"

"It was one of your friends, wasn't it? And I imagine they'll be quite upset if I tell the Headmaster who did it. And when they come after me, I'll just have to tell them the truth. _You don't understand,_ I'll say. _Your friend Severus Snape has some mad idea that I'm a werewolf, a squib, a metamorphmagi._ It doesn't really matter what. _And I told him, I told him, 'Severus, don't say these things about me, or I'll fight back. If you stop, then I won't say a thing. It's only fair.' _ I'll tell them we made a deal, and that you broke it. And then, no matter how bad they hurt me, they'll make it twice as worse for you. Because if there's one thing a Slytherin can't stand, it's someone who betrays their own family. That's what you are now, aren't you? A _family?"_

Severus turned a pale shade of green—not helpful for his already gray complexion. He glanced up at the professors' table. Three or four had wandered in, and from the dais they stared at the five boys suspiciously as Peter and James climbed to their feet and Sirius put away his wand with a venomous, derisive glare.

"Don't threaten me." Snape had clearly meant it to be menacing, but it came off as weak. Remus smiled kindly and shook his head.

"Of course not. I wouldn't threaten the people I make deals with," Remus said in an even tone.

Severus looked loathingly at the four of them. "Monster," he hissed again at Remus.


End file.
